All of those may have a place in how we pastors self-identify, but this little book seeks to pose another word that should come first to our minds: Theologian.
This book advocates for the essential and valuable contribution a "pastor theologian" makes to healthy local church life, from within the community of a local church (or, conceivably, a network of churches). (The authors are careful to distinguish the pastor theologian role they are promoting from the "academic theologian" who spends his or her time in the setting of universities or seminaries.) As the subtitle of the book makes clear, the authors want to resurrect an ancient vision where robust theology was produced by local church leaders, for the health of the larger church (e.g. Athanasius, Augustine, Calvin, and Edwards).
Chapters 1-3 trace the history of why it is that we typically don't associate pastor with theologian. The results of this separation, and the (near) vanishing of the "pastor theologian" have led to two significant errors, the theological anemia of the church (chapter 4) and the ecclesial anemia of theology (chapter 5).
The solution, of course, is the resurrection of pastor theologian. Heistand and Wilson describe three ways this role can take shape: (1) the local theologian, (2) the popular theologian, and (3) the ecclesial theologian (chapter 6).
In chapters 7 and 8, the authors focus more specifically on the role of ecclesial theologian and provide some very practical steps individuals can take to move in the direction of being this sort of ecclesial theologian. (Some of these practical steps include getting a PhD, networking, guarding your study time, and earning buy-in from church leadership.)
The final chapter (chapter 9) lays ground for the sustainable future of the pastor theologian, with the authors giving some parting words to three groups of people: a word to professors, a word to pastors, and a word to students.
It's a brief little book -- just over 120 pages of text, with additional appendices -- and it doesn't get bogged down in unnecessary details. It's also filled with real-life examples.
In the end, then, this is a book that belongs on every pastor's shelf.